Klinikum Aachen, University hospital in Laurensberg, Aachen, Germany.
Klinikum Aachen is a university hospital in Laurensberg serving as the teaching hospital for RWTH Aachen University. The modern complex contains clinical departments, research laboratories, and lecture halls, with its distinctive high-tech design featuring exposed piping and structural systems as key visual elements.
Construction began in 1972 and the facility opened in 1985, with planners overcoming challenges posed by soft ground conditions during building. The high-tech design reflected contemporary ideas about how modern medical facilities should look and function.
The hospital is closely connected to RWTH Aachen University, where medical students train alongside experienced physicians on real patient cases. This link shapes the daily life of the facility and makes it a teaching center as much as a treatment center.
The site is best reached by car since it is located in a suburban area, though buses do serve the area. Visitors should expect to spend time navigating the sprawling campus, as the complex is quite large.
The building intentionally displays its technical systems on the exterior, setting it apart from conventional hospitals of its era. This approach was bold for the 1980s and makes the structure a noteworthy example of that period's architectural thinking.
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